John Barns Graham - The Man
After this he was persuaded to try the RAF. Passing all the medicals in 1964 he joined the Royal Air Force to do Officer Training as a Pilot. He was best Cadet on camp at Initial Training and Course Leader, before being commissioned in the rank of Acting Pilot Officer in May 1965. He flew solo on Jet Provost trainers, before expressing concern at the itinerant lifestyle of an armed forces career. He left in 1966, and tried to enter car styling and design through the automotive retail trade as a Trainee car salesman in Weybridge, Surrey.
John Charles Wedderburn Barns Graham was born in Cook Hospital, Gisborne on 27th January 1945. He was a second generation New Zealander, his paternal Grandfather having come out to New Zealand in the 1890s, and developed a large sheep station near Hangaroa on the back road from Gisborne to Wairoa. John's father John also was a prolific poet with over 800 titles, and 2 books to his pen "Sheep Station NZ" and "Up and Over the Hill". John's mother was a Dowding, a well known Gisborne farming family, who came out to New Zealand between the wars.
In 1947, John's father and mother returned to the UK to farm a family farm at Feddinch near St. Andrews, Scotland. He went to the local Primary School - West Infants in St. Andrews, then to New Park Preparatory School and followed this by going to Sedbergh School in north west Yorkshire. A well respected English Public school with an "out-door" reputation. Due to financial constraints on the family he was taken away a year early, but while there he was keen on rugby and developed a love of fishing in the local rivers during the summer. In fact the only distinction award he received was for fly tying. He completed his education at Dundee Technical College.
In 1947, John's father and mother returned to the UK to farm a family farm at Feddinch near St. Andrews, Scotland. He went to the local Primary School - West Infants in St. Andrews, then to New Park Preparatory School and followed this by going to Sedbergh School in north west Yorkshire. A well respected English Public school with an "out-door" reputation. Due to financial constraints on the family he was taken away a year early, but while there he was keen on rugby and developed a love of fishing in the local rivers during the summer. In fact the only distinction award he received was for fly tying. He completed his education at Dundee Technical College.
He then decided to farm, and was accepted for North of Scotland College of Agriculture, and worked the required year of practical farming at Covesea Farm near Elgin, where he gained experience in Grain and Potato cropping, Dairying, Horticulture, and Pig farming. From September 1967 to June 1969 he completed a 2 year course in Aberdeen, the second in the new School of Agriculture, and attained a National Diploma in Agriculture, and Scottish Diploma in Agriculture, being awarded 4 First class and 3 Second class Certificates of Merits. For his final year he was also elected President of the Agricultural Society of Aberdeen University. One tale John mentioned was that with the BsC in Agriculture students and Diploma students coming together with Staff in the new School of Agriculture, only a Staff toilet had graffiti at the end of the first year, and that was the Ladies toilet!
It was while he was at Aberdeen that he became engaged to Sarah Chapman, one of 4 girls on the Diploma course. They were married in September 1969, and lived for three months with John's parents before moving in to the farmhouse after the tenant farmer's worker had vacated. From 1969 to 1983 he farmed the family farms at Feddinch & Feddinch Mains, St.Andrews in Fife, taking over from a tenant farmer. He had sole responsibility for the financing and management of the farm, with his parents as sleeping partners.
Apart from attending as many Agricultural Training Board courses as possible, among which were two 4 day courses in Farm Business Organisation and in Man Management, he was involved with many fertiliser and spray trials carried out on the farm by chemical firms such as Shell, Fisons, Bayer, BASF, Monsanto, and the East of Scotland College of Agriculture. This led him to be selected as 1 of 4 Scottish farmers for a short fact finding trip to the BASF chemical works and Agricultural Research facility at Ludwigshaven in Germany. He had the first quiet cab tractors in Scotland, grew the largest acreage of a new winter barley variety, Clermont, after the Duke of Norfolk and had the first commercial crop of Triticale in the country.
He also became involved in the local community in local government reorganisation, in establishing the Cameron Community Council which still runs to this day, and also a local branch of the Conservative Party. He was the Chairman of Cameron Community Council Steering Committee, the inaugural Chairman of Cameron Community Council, and Chairman of Cameron Conservative Association.
With the break up of the farming partnership with his parents in 1984 John was left with an uneconomic unit, and decided to return to New Zealand. The farm was sold in 3 weeks, and they then visited New Zealand for 6 weeks in April/May and saw 57 farms, and concluded an unconditional purchase of the farm at Monavale to which the family moved to in October 1984.
Apart from attending as many Agricultural Training Board courses as possible, among which were two 4 day courses in Farm Business Organisation and in Man Management, he was involved with many fertiliser and spray trials carried out on the farm by chemical firms such as Shell, Fisons, Bayer, BASF, Monsanto, and the East of Scotland College of Agriculture. This led him to be selected as 1 of 4 Scottish farmers for a short fact finding trip to the BASF chemical works and Agricultural Research facility at Ludwigshaven in Germany. He had the first quiet cab tractors in Scotland, grew the largest acreage of a new winter barley variety, Clermont, after the Duke of Norfolk and had the first commercial crop of Triticale in the country.
He also became involved in the local community in local government reorganisation, in establishing the Cameron Community Council which still runs to this day, and also a local branch of the Conservative Party. He was the Chairman of Cameron Community Council Steering Committee, the inaugural Chairman of Cameron Community Council, and Chairman of Cameron Conservative Association.
With the break up of the farming partnership with his parents in 1984 John was left with an uneconomic unit, and decided to return to New Zealand. The farm was sold in 3 weeks, and they then visited New Zealand for 6 weeks in April/May and saw 57 farms, and concluded an unconditional purchase of the farm at Monavale to which the family moved to in October 1984.
From 1984 to 1995, John farmed in partnership with Sarah with 50/50 Sharemilkers on 82 ha. at Monavale. Being a cropping farmer he thought it best to concentrate on the land management, and during the 10 years production was lifted 44%.
During this time he also worked as a Rural Real Estate agent for the Cambridge district for Jim Hunt, later to become John F. Jones Real Estate. 1985 to 1988. In 1988 he was appointed Manager of the New Zealand Jersey Cattle Breeders Association, where he organised the moving of the Association office and building (after 62 years) from Palmerston North to the Livestock Improvement complex at Newstead, employed totally new staff to replace the previous employees, brought a 2 year backlog of work up to date, assisted in the organisation, including being involved with sponsorships, of the World Jersey Bureau Conference held in Hamilton in February 1989. During this time John designed the Association's new logo, and typeset the Jersey Review, their 4 monthly magazine. He left the post in 1990. Since that time he has had a small computer business.
During this time he also worked as a Rural Real Estate agent for the Cambridge district for Jim Hunt, later to become John F. Jones Real Estate. 1985 to 1988. In 1988 he was appointed Manager of the New Zealand Jersey Cattle Breeders Association, where he organised the moving of the Association office and building (after 62 years) from Palmerston North to the Livestock Improvement complex at Newstead, employed totally new staff to replace the previous employees, brought a 2 year backlog of work up to date, assisted in the organisation, including being involved with sponsorships, of the World Jersey Bureau Conference held in Hamilton in February 1989. During this time John designed the Association's new logo, and typeset the Jersey Review, their 4 monthly magazine. He left the post in 1990. Since that time he has had a small computer business.
In 1995 they sold the farm and moved into Cambridge.
In July 1996, he involved himself with the Cambridge Parents & Student Support Group, established to ensure that 14 suspended students, and other Correspondence School students, could have supervised group study. The students were supervised in the Union Parish church buildings, and the supervision lasted for 18 months, with the students responding very well.
John has been a member of the Rotary Club of Cambridge, being a director of Club Service, of Youth and International, and of Youth committees. He organised 2 Rotary Youth Leadership Award dinners for Rotary District 9930 at small profits, and was the Rotary District 9930 Conference committee secretary from 1991 to 1993. He was also instrumental in Rotary continuing with the Cambridge Rotary Telephone directory when Telecom withdrew from supplying the telephone listing.
John resigned from Rotary in 2001 and was initiated into the Alpha Lodge in June 2001. He quickly became involved with Alpha Gazette, and took over from Russ Ringland in its production, and became its editor in April 2003. He was appointed District Membership Officer in 2003/4, and a member of the Visual Aids group in the Northern Division, his most memorable work is the Famous Freemasons display. He is custodian of one of the five Northern Division's data projectors. John is also active in organising the Fieldays stand, as well as our Lodge displays. John has produced a number of booklets for the Alpha lodge, not least being the membership booklet given to each new member, and the One Masons series of explanations of our degree workings. He designed the Lodge logo, and the new Alpha Lodge badge.
As well as being active in Lodge, John's hobbies include Fishing, computing, early New Zealand discovery and maps, following most sports and research into Freemasonry.
John is married to Sarah, and has 3 daughters - Caroline, Helen, and Jennifer, and 7 grandchildren.
In July 1996, he involved himself with the Cambridge Parents & Student Support Group, established to ensure that 14 suspended students, and other Correspondence School students, could have supervised group study. The students were supervised in the Union Parish church buildings, and the supervision lasted for 18 months, with the students responding very well.
John has been a member of the Rotary Club of Cambridge, being a director of Club Service, of Youth and International, and of Youth committees. He organised 2 Rotary Youth Leadership Award dinners for Rotary District 9930 at small profits, and was the Rotary District 9930 Conference committee secretary from 1991 to 1993. He was also instrumental in Rotary continuing with the Cambridge Rotary Telephone directory when Telecom withdrew from supplying the telephone listing.
John resigned from Rotary in 2001 and was initiated into the Alpha Lodge in June 2001. He quickly became involved with Alpha Gazette, and took over from Russ Ringland in its production, and became its editor in April 2003. He was appointed District Membership Officer in 2003/4, and a member of the Visual Aids group in the Northern Division, his most memorable work is the Famous Freemasons display. He is custodian of one of the five Northern Division's data projectors. John is also active in organising the Fieldays stand, as well as our Lodge displays. John has produced a number of booklets for the Alpha lodge, not least being the membership booklet given to each new member, and the One Masons series of explanations of our degree workings. He designed the Lodge logo, and the new Alpha Lodge badge.
As well as being active in Lodge, John's hobbies include Fishing, computing, early New Zealand discovery and maps, following most sports and research into Freemasonry.
John is married to Sarah, and has 3 daughters - Caroline, Helen, and Jennifer, and 7 grandchildren.
